Editorials

Disaster hit parts of our county and throughout California with the series of wildfires that, fueled by high winds early in the week, wreaked havoc and left devastation to many of us and our many friends and family.

Vacaville’s City Council continues to delay the inevitable — what to do with cannabis — and decision time is not too far away. Cities need to have some form of regulation in place before state licenses for cannabis businesses begin to be issued Jan.

“America can once again become the best-educated people in the world through a few strategic interventions at key points in the schooling trajectory.” Peter D. Salins, “Strengthening America’s Greatest Resource, Its People,” (2014), p.

Volunteers turned out in record numbers for the annual Coastal Cleanup Day in Solano County and the monumental project is again worthy of a pick. The numbers were impressive this year. Nearly 2,700 people in the county joined the 52,000 across the state in the cleanup effort.

Our nation paused Monday to remember and grieve the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Events were held throughout Solano County worthy of picks, from the action taken by volunteers at the Mare Island Cemetery to the school children at Travis Air Force Base who walked and learned in honor.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last week that will allow Solano County to protect its open space, preserve its land and possibly expand recreation opportunities into the future. Senate Bill 365 was authored by our local State Senator Bill Dodd, D-Solano, and co-authored by local Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Solano, and nearby Assemblyman Tim Grayson, D-Concord.

An act of kindness caught our attention this week. A 7-year-old boy from Vacaville joined the large ranks of good samaritans around the world who went to work aiding the victims of Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas.

Last week’s gun buyback at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo proved to a big success. More than 150 firearms were dropped off during the Saturday event in exchange for gift cards. Potentially, any one of those guns could have been used in a crime, or resulted in the loss of life.

So many in our community are ready to lend a hand to our neighbors in need, both near and far. Here are three that deserve picks this week. The Reporter offered stories on a Travis Air Force crew deployed to the south to assist in hurricane and tropical storm relief, the work of one local judge making a difference in helping those with drug addiction, and the work of the sheriff’s department in locating an elderly Suisun City woman with Alzheimer’s.

Vacaville Unified School District voters did right in passing the $194 million bond Measure A in 2014. On the first day of school last week, the fruits of that decision became readily apparent. Vacaville High School and Willis Jepson Middle School were among the district properties that displayed your dollars at work.

Festival de la Isla, or the Festival of the Island, held each year at historic Pena Adobe, has not only become a celebration of the unity and pride of those of Puerto Rican heritage, but it’s grown into a celebration of the human race as well.

Thanks to a 2016 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Solano County Superior Court is one of the Northern California courts that has now agreed to stop suspending the driver’s licenses of traffic offenders that can’t afford to pay their fines.

Turning out graduates for biotech manufacturing jobs and celebrating the lives of those young and old are on the pick list this week in recent community activity. *** Solano Community College’s biotech manufacturing program has already had a sterling reputation.

A hungry and inquisitive crowd perused Downtown Vacaville last weekend for the mouth-watering assortment of chili, ribs and salsa offered up during the 10th Annual Rib and Chili Cook-off. The cook-off, which included a salsa competition for the first time, has been a summer staple in the community for a decade now as individuals gather to taste the mixture of succulent ribs, homemade chili and the new sundry of salsas.

The future of the museum at the Nut Tree Airport, currently saddled with the awkward name of the American Center of Aviation and Freedom (ACAAF) is, well, up in the air. With the recent hire of a Seattle-based consultant the hope is to have a long-term plan for the aviation museum in place by the fall.

Green Tree Properties was back in the news this week after the request was made to begin the process of rezoning the property, once the home site of Green Tree Golf Club. The Vacaville City Council is scheduled to hear this request at Tuesday’s meeting in the council chamber at 650 Merchant St.

Neighbors throughout Vacaville and the rest of Solano County mingled and celebrated the power of community Tuesday as part of National Night Out. The event came just days after Fairfield introduced its new police chief and Dixon its new fire chief.

From the very young to adults, people helping people was an important theme this week. Three youngsters held a bake sale to raise money for local organizations. This year’s Ms. Vacaville, Brandi Rhoads, shared her battle with breast cancer and her current calling as an advocate for research.

Solano County this week launched a new website, SolanoCares4Seniors.org, considered “a one-stop resource” for seniors, their families, caregivers and service providers. The website is a free “electronic resource guide” in a single location, available to anyone, anywhere, anytime, every day.

Fourth of July is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends the freedoms we enjoy in our country, whether at barbecues, ballgames, swim parties or fireworks shows. But it is those fireworks that we need to be wary about.

Vacaville’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life was deemed a success again when more than $150,000 was raised and more than 1,000 individuals participated in the event that raises funds to fight cancer and honor those whose lives have been affected by the disease.

It’s hard to find much bipartisan support in politics these days but Gov. Jerry Brown has managed to find some resistance even among his own party locally when it comes to his twin tunnel proposal for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Vacaville firefighters continue to go beyond the job to help the local community. This week it was demonstrated by the delivery of a large collection of meat to Opportunity House. With this one act, the firefighters benefited both local children and the city’s lone homeless shelter.

The Vacaville community has been very vigilant in supporting the city’s lone homeless shelter, Opportunity House, but current financial struggles find it in a situation now where operations may not continue past July unless help comes quickly.

Graduation season is complete and we salute the large and diverse Class of 2017. You’ve completed your requirements and it is time to celebrate. The world awaits. Many will head for college campuses in the fall, while others will join the workforce or the military.

Vacaville’s unique band of brothers at the fire department’s Station 71 appeared in The Reporter this week for the distinction of being the first crew made up entirely of city natives, hometown heroes in the truest since of the word.

Families and friends flocked to downtown Dixon last weekend en masse for the 142nd annual Dixon May Fair and were greeted with warm air, a crystal blue sky and plenty of fun. The fair annually offers an array of activity with the carnival rides, live music, vast supply of livestock for inspection, Saturday parade and the regular bounty of deep fried food.

What a pleasure it was to have the return of the Air Show at Travis Air Force Base. The skies roared for thousands of spectators who enjoyed the aerial delight that was headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The recent groundbreaking of the new Wildcat Stadium complex at Will C. Wood High School was a significant achievement in the life of the Marshall Road campus. It was a festive event that capped a four-year journey that was made possible at last by Measure A funds.

Jessica Johnson and her idea of “A Day for Kids” has continued to bless many and was recently a big hit again at the McBride Senior Center in Vacaville. In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, the center was transformed into a park as families and their children celebrated.

Fifty four years ago, Betty McKinzie’s world was turned upside down when her beloved husband, Deputy Hale Humphrey, was killed in the line of duty. Last week, he was posthumously honored with a sign to be placed along Highway 12 between Marina Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue, where he died.

The potential development of the former Green Tree Golf Club property will be one that we will be watching, and you should too, especially those who live in the Leisure Town area. The Vacaville City Council got its first look at future development ideas at its most recent meeting.

Recent rains couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those that celebrated the grading of a property that will soon be Vacaville’s first housing complex for military veterans. The Rocky Hill Veterans Housing project is now underway.

Vacaville Police Officer Erwin Ramirez is a husband, dad, mentor to his peers and a dedicated community servant. He’s also the city’s Officer of the Year and epitomizes all the best in our local department.

What a thrilling opportunity it was last week for the Vanden High School girls basketball team. In their first appearance on the game’s biggest stage, the Lady Vikings rallied from a large deficit to beat powerful Mater Dei of Southern California 64-61 for the CIF State Division II Championship at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The pending lawsuit against Vacaville about Chromium 6 in the city’s drinking water should not be admonished, but it should also be made clear that the city has already been well underway in the process of fixing the situation.

Soroptimist International of Vacaville and the Vacaville Police Department recently took a pro-active look at the sickening world of human trafficking and the warning signs associated. Human trafficking is present in every city, big or small, Vacaville Police Lt.

For the second year in a row, Vacaville’s Innovation Expo was an excellent opportunity for the local community to think about why, and then how, leaders conduct their businesses. The goal, emcee Laura Cole told the Solano County business community, was to walk away with something tangible that can better what they do.

California has long been a leader in the protection of school children when it comes to bullying and discrimination. Local, state and national educators recently said the White House decision to rescind protections for transgender public school students does not change existing law in the state.

Speed mentoring? What a good idea and a quick way for local professionals in the community to share their career knowledge with local teens. Youth with the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club got a taste of the program, thanks to the Vacaville, Fairfield and Vallejo-Benicia chapters of Business Networking International (BNI).

Dixon’s turbulent search for a new police chief officially comes to an end this week when Robert E. Thompson takes the helm beginning Wednesday. The 44-year-old has solid credentials and his skills stood out among a group of three final candidates.

The annual awards ceremony for the Vacaville Fire Department allows them to honor their brave colleagues but also gives the public a chance to say thank you for their own special circumstances. Vacaville Fire Department Chief Kris Concepcion knows the excellence so often attributed to his department isn’t possible without its close ties to the community.

With some wind aid from Mother Nature, water once again cascaded into Lake Berryessa’s Glory Hole spillway this week before heavy weekend rains finally, officially let the spill begin. Lake Berryessa is at capacity again and that is great news for everyone.

What a fun idea Jeremy Boman and his wife Nichol had by offering the community a scavenger hunt. They expect more will soon follow. They got the idea from a similar venture last year in the Crime and Community Info group, which has more than 16,000 members.

The announcement Wednesday that the Vacaville Police Department made an arrest in the 34-year-old cold case murder of De Anna Lynn Johnson was a victory for the persistent work of law enforcement and the continued push of a capture and closure for family and friends.